The present invention relates to a lighting system having a moveable optical member arranged between lens elements mounted across a vehicle and optical fibers emitting light from one of their ends which is generated by a high brightness light source, wherein the movement of the optical member alters the apparent optical position of the fibers relative to the lens elements in such a manner so as to provide all of the forward illumination needs of the vehicle.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 123,844 filed Nov. 23, 1987 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,172 herein by reference, discloses a lighting system that utilizes a high brightness light source which is coupled to fiber optics. In one embodiment, the lighting system includes two high intensity light sources which are respectively coupled to a first and a second plurality of optical fibers. Both pluralities of optical fibers are positioned relative to lens members mounted across a vehicle. The first high intensity light source provides the low beam forward illumination of the vehicle and the light from the second high intensity light source provides the high beam forward illumination of the vehicle. Although the lighting system disclosed in Ser. No. 123,844, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,172, serves well the needs of the vehicle, it is desired that a lighting system be provided that needs only one high intensity light source while still providing both the low beam and high beam forward illumination needs of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting system that utilizes only one high intensity light source while still providing high and low beam forward illumination for a vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention to have the one high intensity light source also provide the forward directional illumination associated with the cornering lights and fog beam illumination of the vehicles.